We may not be able to control the spread of the virus, the changing mandates, or the inequities and social justice issues intensified by the pandemic, but we can control how much our children feel loved by us.
For Alyssa Smith, the pandemic enabled her to view her courses on play and curriculum as a big “look into the mirror” to discern what matters and what was important about becoming a teacher.
While inclusion is an important goal for many families and teachers and is a hallmark of a high-quality early learning program, effective implementation requires planning, intentionality, and collaboration.
This article introduces the Patty Smith Hill blocks and describes how they helped one teacher build a curriculum and intentionally plan and teach in ways that engaged children in deep study of topics they could learn through firsthand experiences.
This article outlines how teachers can use storytelling, empathy, perspective taking, and community engagement to foster ethics learning in the classroom.
This in-depth look at a yearlong investigation that emerged from a class visit to a school garden gives teachers ideas for extending garden learning across literacy, math, and science content areas.
Authored by
Authored by:
Kristin N. Rainville, Anna E. Greer, Cristina Sandolo
This article explains how to cultivate trust in young children so their interactions with other children and their friendships function in healthier, stronger ways.
For Dr. Elaine S. Spellman, a fulfilling career in early childhood education includes three major things: community building, continuous growth, and being responsive to and supportive of others.
Partnering with families is key to developmentally appropriate practice, with two-way, respectful, and collaborative communication at the heart of the partnerships between families of children with ASD and schools.
Authored by
Authored by:
Melissa A. Sreckovic, Tia R. Schultz, Christine K. Kenney, Kelly Crenshaw
When planned, implemented, and individualized to meet children’s strengths and needs, inclusive practices can lead to positive outcomes for all children in the form of increased access, membership, participation, friendships, and support.
To create inclusive environments for every young child, early childhood educators must intentionally design and adapt the learning environment based on children’s diverse and unique assets, strengths, abilities, and needs.
Authored by
Authored by:
Alissa Rausch, Jaclyn Joseph, Phillip S. Strain, Elizabeth A. Steed
To be effective, individualized teaching includes a child’s entire educational team—teachers, specialists, and other professionals who collect assessment information, identify learning outcomes, use instructional strategies, and monitor progress.
Authored by
Authored by:
Christan Coogle, Emily R. Lakey, Jennifer R. Ottley, Jennifer A. Brown, Mollie Romano
This cluster of Young Children articles takes up that call by digging deeper into the core consideration of individuality and guidelines related to inclusion and offering in-depth descriptions of approaches to meet each child where they are.